MANCHESTER Airport is gearing up to deal with record numbers of passengers.

About 210,000 holidaymakers are due to pass through Ringway between today and Sunday, an increase of 5 per cent on the same weekend last year.

The most popular destinations for travellers are Tenerife and Gran Canaria, mainland Spain, the Balearics and Portugal. More scheduled flights are operating this year for people heading to their own apartments or timeshare villas rather than taking package holidays.

New restaurants and bars have opened at Ringway to coincide with the summer rush to the sun.

But extra police will be on duty in the terminals to ensure passengers behave and will distribute yellow warning cards to unruly travellers who have had too much booze. The worst offenders could be banned from flying. Since the clampdown began earlier this summer, 25 yellow cards have been issued but no passengers have been grounded.

Chief Insp Gill Mellor, of the airport police, said: "There will be additional patrols to make sure there are no problems."